One of the emerging themes of the Northern floods is how farmers and dredging debate has once again taken off. This note covers Liz Truss’s speech and some of the resulting commentary. Environment Minister addresses the Oxford Farming Conference https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-minister-addresses-the-oxford-farming-conference–2 6 January 2016 Elizabeth Truss today delivered a speech to delegates at the annual Oxford […]
The Prime Minister, Rt Hon David Cameron MP, appears before the Liaison Committee. The meeting focuses on (1) Syria and (2) Climate Change and Flooding. Watch Parliament TV: Evidence from the Prime Minister Read the transcript: Evidence from the Prime Minister ( PDF 329 KB) Liaison Committee Rt Hon Andrew Tyrie MP, Chairman of the Liaison […]
There is clearly a need for integration across Government – just look the departments involved! Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Rory Stewart MP, The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, The Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department of Energy & Climate Change, Government Office for Science […]
The Cumbria floods have prompted this cross – departmental (integrated?) review in to resilience and flooding; even in their press release they seem to have become aware of ‘upstream solutions’. Defra ‘Environment Secretary announces work to identify additional flood protection measures in Cumbria Work to identify additional flood protection measures for Cumbrian communities affected by […]
This is what extreme events look like. We know that climate change predictions suggest that we will have more extreme events. Cumbria: Met Office – Storm Desmond’s records: http://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/ The Met Office’s warning re climate change a month ago: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/news/2015/global-average-temperature-2015 How will the insurance industry respond? This is what the insurance industry has done in […]
Whilst it might be tempting to kill the messenger, George Monbiot outlines what we instinctively know. We need a fully integrated approach to climate change, energy policy, flood defences, land management and lots more. He points out the contradictions and problems with our current ‘leadership’ on these issues. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/07/hide-evidence-storm-desmond-floods-paris-talks George Monbiot (Guardian) ‘It’s as if […]
Flood News: Insurance companies are branding new £23m flood defences in a Northumberland town “irrelevant,” an MP has claimed as they continue to charge residents huge premiums. New defences at Morpeth were completed this year on the back of major floods in 2008 and 2012, and have it is claimed massively reduced the risk of nearby properties being flooded. Yet despite […]
State of the Nation Scotland: Infrastructure 2015, focuses on the performance, resilience, capacity and condition of Scotland’s infrastructure networks. It also analyses the economic, social and environmental benefits of infrastructure. Through the report ICE Scotland seeks to improve the planning, delivery, operation and regulation of Scotland’s infrastructure. Scotland’s approach to delivering and maintaining infrastructure requires […]